Mechanical post driver



y 1957 H. L. PHARES MECHANICAL POST DRIVER Filed 001;. 7, 1953 3Sheets-Sheet l ir i Z i i i i i i i INVENTOR H. L. 'PHARES I I40\ 150I44 B12 5 pr; Q 80 I34 [50 May 21, 1957 H. PHARES 2,792,639

MECHANICAL POST DRIVER Filed 001:. '7, 1953 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 we I2INVENTOR H. L. PH A RES May 21, 1957' H. L. PHARES 2,792,689

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Application October 7, 1953, Serial No. 384,627

3 Claims. (Cl. 61-74) This invention relates to portable land piledrivers and machines of the type having a weight mounted to travelvertically in a track with the weight elevated by mechanical means anddrawn downwardly to a drive a post or the like into the ground bygravity, and in particular a hammer or driver slidably mounted in a pairof vertically disposed parallel rails and having endless chains withweight carrying rollers extended therefrom mounted on an arcuate railand adapted to be mounted on and operated by a tractor, and wherein thesupporting structure with the rails, chains, and weight is adapted to beadjusted to a vertical position with the device on the side of a hill orthe like.

The purpose of this invention is to provide a mechanically actuatedportable pile or post driver that is adapted to be set to operateautomatically and that may readily be adjusted whereby the drivingelement and operating means therefor are vertically positioned with thedevice positioned on uneven ground.

Pile drivers havebeen provided in various designs and diiferent meanshave been used to carry the weight or driver upwardly so that it maydrop downwardly by gravity, however, Where devices of this type areactuated by hydraulic means mechanical devices for opening and closingvalves are required, and where the weights are elevated by, chains orcables comparatively complicated trips are necessary, and such devicesmust be serviced continuously.

Where devices of this type are used in the water the trip elements andvalves are not particularlyobjectionable, however, when they are used onthe land for driving fence posts and the like it is desirable tosimplify the equipment and reduce the cost of operation to a minimum.

With these thoughts in mind this invention contemplates a weightslidably mounted between spaced vertically disposed rails mounted on anarcuate horizontally disposed cross beam, with chains having rollersextended therefrom positioned on opposite sides of the rails forcarrying the weight upwardly, and with means for operating the chainsand adjusting the position of the rails and chains on the cross beam.

The object of this invention is, therefore, to provide a pile driver foruse on the land and particularly adapted for driving posts and stakes.

Another object of the invention is to provide a post driver that isreadily adjusted to a vertical position so that the device may be usedfor driving posts and stakes on the side of a hill.

Another important object of the invention is to provide a post and stakedriver in which the only tripping instrumentalities are rollers rollingfrom the opposite edges of the Weight or driver, whereby, once thedriver is set up and started further attention by the operator is notrequired.

A further object of the invention is to provide a post and stake driverin which means is provided for maintaining posts or stakes being driveninto the ground in vertical positions and also in which means isprovided for driving the posts or stakes to previously determinedelevations above the ground.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a post and stakedriver that is readily adapted to be attached to and operated by atractor.

And a still further object of the invention is to provide a pile driverfor use-on the land and that is particularly adapted for driving postsand stakes in which the driver is of a simple and economicalconstruction.

With these and other objects and advantages in view the inventionembodies a supporting frame mounted on wheels with an arcuatehorizontally disposed driving element carrying cross bar at one end anda draw-bar for attaching the driver to a tractor on the other, a pair ofvertically disposed parallel rails extended from said cross bar, adriving weight slidably mounted in said rails, endless chains havingrollers in arms extended therefrom positioned on the inner sides of therails with the rollers adapted to extend from the rails for carrying theweight upwardly, guide clips secured to the rails for retaining posts,in the path of the weight and in a vertical position, a brace extendedfrom, the upper ends of the rails to the frame for retaining the railsvertical, means for actuating the chains, and means for adjusting the.posi: tion of the rails on;the crossbar.

Other features and advantages of the inventionwill appear from thefollowing description taken in connection with the drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a side elevational view showing the driver attachment withthe device mounted on a trail r frame, parts of which are broken away.

Figure 2 is a plan View showing the upper end of the attachment, beingtaken on line 2-32 of Figure 1.

. Figure 3 is a detail showing a side elevational view of one of theweight elevating chains showing a portion, only, of the chain, andillustrating the armsfor mounting the weight carrying rollers on thechains,

Figure 4 is a cross section through the trailer frame showing a frontelevational view of the driver attachment with parts broken away andalso with parts omitted.

Figure 5 is a sectional plan through the driver attachment taken on line55 of Figure 1.

Figure 6 is a cross section through the lower part of the driver takenon line 66 of Figure 5, with the parts shown on an enlarged scale, andillustrating the mounting of the driver elements on the arcuate crossbar.

Figure 7 is a detail through one of the chain enclosing channel barsillustrating a spring finger for preventing a reverse movement of thechain.

Figure 8 is a detail showing a section taken on line 8--8 of Figure 6,illustrating the positions of rollers in the mounting of the driverparts on the arcuate cross bar.

While one embodiment of the invention is illustrated in theabove-referred to drawings, it is to be understood that they are merelyfor the purpose of illustration and that various changes in constructionmay be resorted to in the course of manufacture in order that the devicemay be utilized to the best advantage according to circumstances whichmay arise, without in any way departing from the spirit and intention ofthe device, which is to be limited only in accordance with the appendedclaims. And while there is stated the primary field of utility of theinvention, it remains obvious that it may be employed in any othercapacity wherein it may be found applicable.

In the accompanying drawings, and in the following specification, thesame reference characters are used to designate the same parts andelements throughout and in which the numeral 8 refers to the inventionin. its entirety, numeral lti a weight that is slidably mounted betweenrails 12 and 14 which are supported from an arcuate cross bar 16,numerals 18 and 20 endless chains having weight carrying rollers 22extended therefrom with arms 24 and 26, spring clips 28 for holdingposts and the like in the path of the weight, a supporting trailer framehaving side bars 30 and 32 and a draw-bar 34, and a brace includingtelescoping sections 36 and 38 and a yoke 40, for holding the rails inupright positions from the frame.

The side bars 30 and 32 are mounted on an axle 42 on the ends of whichwheels 44 are journaled, and the ends of the side bars are secured tothe ends of the cross bar 16, preferably by welding, as shown in Figure4.

A mounting plate 46, positioned on the forward side of the cross bar, ismounted to travel on the cross bar 16 with upper rollers 48 and 50, anda lower roller 52. The ends of the rollers are provided with studs 54with which the rollers are journaled in the mounting plate 46 at oneside of the cross bar and in an L-shaped cover plate 56 on the oppositeside of the cross bar. The upper edge of the plate 56 is connected tothe mounting plate 46 with a cross plate 58.

A spring actuated pin 60 having an eye 62 on the extended end and whichis mounted in a U-shaped bracket 64, extends through an opening 66 inthe plate 46, and is adapted to extend into spaced slots 68 in the crossbar 16, as shown in Figures 6 and 8. The pin is provided with a collar70, and a spring 72 positioned around the pin urges the extended end ofthe pin into the notches or slots of the cross bar when the pin isreleased. The pin may be Withdrawn to release the device from the crossbar by a cable 74 attached to the eye 62.

The rails 12 and 14 are supported from the mounting plate 46 with sideplates 76 and 78, the forward edges of which are secured to the mountingplate and the opposite edges to the backs of the rails, which arechannelshaped in cross section. The upper ends of the rails areconnected with a U-shaped brace 80 the ends of which 7 are secured tothe webs forming the backs of the rails with bolts 82. The sides of theweight 10 are provided with grooves that are positioned to receive theflanges extended from the webs of the rails.

The return sections of the chains are positioned to travel inchannel-shaped covers or tracks 84 and 86 which are supported from therails. The upper end of the track 84 is connected to the rail 12 withplates 88, and the lower end with bars 90 and 92, and the upper end ofthe track 86 is connected to the rail 14 with plates 94 and the lowerend to the lower end of the track with bars 96 and 98.

The tracks are provided with spring fingers 190 mounted on pins 102between arms 104 and 106 and, as illustrated in Figure 7, the fingersare provided with spring clips 108 and 110 that wrap around the pins 162and that extend over the upper edges of the arms, whereby the tingers100 are held in the path of the rollers 22 permitting the rollers topass downwardly and preventing upward travel thereof so that the weightwill not drop should operation of the device accidentally stop, orshould the operator desire to hold the weight in an upper position.

The flanges on the forward sides of the rails 12 and 14 are providedwith spaced openings 112 and 144 and U-shaped brackets 116 on which thespring clips 28 are mounted are secured to the rails with bolts 118which extend through the openings 112 and 114 and flanges 12) and 122 ofthe brackets. The brackets are positioned and the spring fingers formedso that the fingers of the clips hold a post or stake in the path of aweight slidably mounted on the rails.

A stop block 124, of rubber or other resilient material, is also mountedon the rails 12 and 14-, and this block is also positioned in the pathof the weight and above the uppermost of the brackets 116, whereby withthe block set to the elevation to which it is desired to drive a post orthe like all posts may be driven with the upper ends the same distanceabove the ground, or as desired. The block 124 is secured to an anglebar 126 by a bolt 128 and the angle bar is secured to the flanges of therails with bolts 130 and 132.

A swivel joint is provided between the upper ends of the rails and thebrace connecting the upper ends to the supporting frame, wherein a ball134 on the end of a stud 136 in a plate 138 extended from the brace 80,is positioned in semi-spherical recesses 140 and 142 in blocks 144 and146 which are secured to a plate 148 on the upper end of the uppertelescoping section 36 with bolts 151), as shown in Figures 1 and 2.

With the upper ends of the rails connected to the brace in this mannerthe lower end of the device is free to travel laterally on the arcuatecross bar 16 to facilitate adjusting the rails to a vertical positionwith the driver position on a hillside or the like. The bolts securingthe blocks 144 and 146 to the plate 148 may be loosened in making theadjustment.

The upper telescoping member or tube 36 is provided with a spring latchor pin 154, similar to the pin 60, and the pin, which is provided withan eye 156 on the outer end is slidably mounted in a U-shaped bracket158 and resiliently held inwardly by a spring 160 one end of which bearsagainst the bracket and the other against a collar 162 on the pin. Bythis means the pin is resiliently urged into spaced openings 164 in thesection 38 of the brace, and may readily be withdrawn to adjust thelength of the brace by a pull-cord 166. The arms 168 p of the yoke 40 inthe lower end of the section 38 are secured to the side bars 30 and 32with bolts 170.

The driver for posts, stakes, and the like, of this invention is drivenby suitable transmission elements and, as shown in Figures 1 and 5, anextension shaft 172 from the end of a shaft 174 is adapted to beconnected to the power take-off of a tractor on which the attachment ismounted, or to other means, such as the driving shaft of an internalcombustion engine and, as illustrated in Figure 4, the shaft 174 isprovided with a sprocket 176 over which an endless chain 178 is trainedand also a sprocket 180 over which the endless chain 18 is trained. Thechain 18 carries the spaced rollers 22 that carry the weight 10 upwardlyon one side of the driver.

The shaft 174 is journalecl with a bearing 182 in the mounting plate 46and also by a bearing 134 in the bars 98 and 92 connecting the lower endof the cover 84 to the rail 12, and a similar shaft 186, journaled inthe plate 46 with a bearing 183 and in the bars 96 and 98, connectingthe lower end of the cover 86 to the rail 14 with a bearing 189, isprovided with sprockets 196 and 192 which are aligned with the sprockets176 and 180, respectively. The chain 178 is trained over the sprocket191i and the chain 20 over the sprocket 192. The chain 178 is alsotrained under sprockets 194 and 196 which are mounted by studs 198 and200, respectively, on the plate 46, as shown in Figure 4.

With the sprockets arranged as illustrated in Figure 4, the powertake-off shaft of a tractor, which normally turns counter-clockwise,with the parts as shown, turns the shaft 174 in a counter-clockwisedirection with the inside section of the chain 13 traveling upwardly,and turns the shaft 186 in a clockwise direction with the inside sectionof the chain 21) traveling upwardly.

The upper end of the chain 18 is trained over a sprocket 252 journaledon a shaft 284 which is mounted in slots 2196 in the plates 88connecting the upper end of the cover 84 to the rail 12 and the chain 20is trained over a similar sprocket 2% on a shaft 216 which is mounted inslots 212 in the plates 94 connecting the upper end of the cover 6 tothe rail 14. The shaft 204 is adjustably held in the slots 2116 by locknuts 214 and the shaft 216 is similarly held by lock nuts 216 wherebyslack may readily be taken up in the chains.

A reinforcing plate 218 is provided on the upper edges of the mountingplate 46 and side plates 76 and 78 and,

as shown in Figure 1, this plate extends over and provides a cover forthe intermediate part of the chain 178. The plate 218 is also providedto serve as a mounting platform for an internal combustion engine attimes when the machine is not driven by the power take oif shaft of atractor.

Operation In use the post or stake driver of this invention may beattached, by the draw-bar 34, to a tractor or the like and after beingconveyed to a suitable position on level ground or on a slope or side ofa hill, the superstructure, including the rails 12 and 14 is adjusted onthe cross bar 16 until the rails are vertical. The bumper or stop block124 is then set so that the upper end of the post will be the desiredheight after being driven into place and, with a post or stakepositioned in the spring clips 28, the driving means is started wherebythe inner sections of the chains 18 and 20 travel upwardly with therollers 22 picking up the weight and carrying the weight up wardly untilthe rollers roll from the lower surface of the weight permitting theweight to drop and strike the upper end of the post. This action iscontinued until the weight reaches the bumper 124, at which time themachine is moved to the next position and the cycle of operationsrepeated.

From the foregoing specification, it will become apparent that theinvention disclosed will adequately accomplish the functions for whichit has been designed and in an economical manner, and that itssimplicity, accuracy, and ease of operation are such as to provide arelatively inexpensive device, considering what it will accomplish, andthat it will find an important place in the art to which it appertainswhen once placed on the market.

It is thought that persons skilled in the art to which the inventionrelates will be able to obtain a clear understanding of the inventionafter considering the description in connection with the drawings.Therefore, a more lengthy description is regarded as unnecessary.

Changes in shape, size and arrangement of details and parts, such ascome within the purview of the invention claimed may be resorted to inactual practice, if desired.

Having now described the invention that which is claimed to be new anddesired to be procured by Letters Patent, is:

1. In a post driver, the combination which comprises a supporting framemounted on wheels and having an arcuate cross bar therein, spacedvertically disposed parallel rails mounted on said cross bar, means foradjusting the position of said rails on the cross bar, a telescopingbrace with flexible attachment extended from the upper ends of the railsand flexibly attached thereto to a point on the frame spaced from thecross bar, endless chains having rollers mounted on arms extendedtherefrom, mounted with one of the sections thereof positioned to travelin said rails, a weight positioned between and slidably mounted on saidrails, said weight adapted to be elevated by the rollers of the chainsfrom each side simultaneously in a balanced position, means forpositioning a post between the rails and in the path of the Weight, andmeans for actuating the chains.

2. In a post driver, the combination which comprises a supporting framemounted on wheels and having an arcuate cross bar at one end, spacedvertically disposed parallel rails mounted on said cross bar, means forad justing the position of said rails longitudinally of said cross bar,a Weight positioned between and slidably mounted on said rails, a stopadjustably mounted on said rails and positioned to be engaged by theWeight, endless chains having rollers extended therefrom mounted on saidrails and positioned whereby the rollers are adapted to carry the weightupwardly in balanced position, said rollers being adapted to drop theweight at the upper end of the frame, means for retaining a post betweenthe rails and in the path of said weight, and means for actuating thechains.

3. In a driver for posts and the like, the combination which comprises asupporting frame mounted on wheels and having a draw-bar at one end andan arcuate transversely disposed cross bar at the other, a mountingplate having rollers thereon adapted to travel longitudinally on thecross bar, said rollers being positioned above and below the cross bar,locking means for retaining the mounting plate in adjusted positions onthe cross bar, spaced vertically disposed parallel rails carried by saidmounting plate, a weight providing a hammer slidably mounted on saidrails and positioned to travel between the rails, endless chains havingrollers extended therefrom mounted to travel upwardly on said rails withthe rollers adapted to pick up the weight as they move upwardly andadapted to drop the weight at a point spaced from the upper ends of therails, spring clips carried by the rails and adapted to retain posts inposition in the path of the weight, a bumper carried by the rails andalso positioned in the path of the weight, said bumper adapted to beadjusted to limit downward movement of a post, means for preventingreverse travel of the chains, means for connecting the chains to drivingmeans, and a telescoping brace connecting the upper ends of the rails tothe supporting frame at a point spaced from said mounting plate.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS2,599,995 Hobson June 10, 1952 FOREIGN PATENTS 26,427 Denmark 1920

